Matt Baume On Religious Liberty

Silliest Religious Liberty Argument Ever?

In an op-ed published yesterday by the Washington Examiner, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) argue that since Chipotle can choose to only buy humanely-raised pork, businesses can choose to only serve heterosexuals. Seriously. An excerpt:

It is crucial that the same freedom of conscience enjoyed by the leadership of Chipotle remain equally available to business owners of faith. Indeed, much more so, as freedom of religion is explicitly protected by the First Amendment. We cannot simultaneously laud the leaders of a business motivated by a commitment to environmental sustainability and discriminate against the leaders of a business motivated by religious belief. If a decision based on moral convictions is celebrated, shouldn't a decision based on the free exercise of religion – a right guaranteed in the Constitution – be even more so? To be sure, religious freedom is not just a choice of convenience – it is a fundamental right given to all Americans by the Constitution. As we recognize Chipotle's decision, let's remember that a clear constitutionally-supported civil right of religious freedom should be cherished and respected in every corner of this nation.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jasun)

RELATED: In 2011 Forbes (photo) introduced House resolutions calling for "In God We Trust" to be inscribed on every public building in the nation and for all federal documents to use the words "mother and father" rather than "parents."

Press Release Of The Day

From the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Rep. Forbes cancelled his planned appearance today at a fundraising luncheon for an anti-gay hate group, the American Family Association, at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. Forbes’ decision comes in the wake of a petition and TV ad campaign by Faithful America, a progressive Christian organization. My organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center, also joined together with national civil rights groups to call on Forbes and other public officials to skip the Values Voter Summit. Rep. Forbes apparently realized how bad it would look to spend today raising money for a hate group instead of working on a solution to the government shutdown. He has worked closely with the American Family Association in the past, but we hope this represents a clean break. As we’ve said before, this has nothing to do with one’s position on same-sex marriage or other social issues. Instead we’re talking about a group that blames the Holocaust on gays and says women have no place in political leadership. Mainstream conservatives shouldn’t have anything to do with this kind of bigotry and extremism.

My post about the Faithful American ad campaign is here.

Religious Group Slams Rep. Randy Forbes For FRC Hate Summit Appearance

The gay-affirming Faithful America notes that Rep. Randy Forbes will appear at a Values Voter Summit luncheon sponsored by the American Family Association. Knowing Forbes' history, I don't expect this ad campaign to bother him in the slightest.